Vuelta speculation

[Durden93]

Does anyone know if they use actual time gaps for the TTT or if they use time bonuses based on team position? Thanks.

 

[Blanco]

Re:

Contador will win the Vuelta.

No, he wont.

 

[Rollthedice]

I am not so sure Froome will have a walk in the park and I don't buy the fact that he was holding back in Le Tour just to have a better shot at Vuelta. It wasn't quite easy to win this, he'll have to do a lot of crits and drink a lot of beer in the process plus the route in Vuelta is quite hard. The only advantage is that he's the best TTer of all the contenders.

 

[jsem94]

Nibali has to win this for his own sake, or at the very least be close to winning. Otherwise I'll resign to the fact that he's done as a god tier GC rider.

 

[Arredondo]

I wish Purito would un-retire and ride this Vuelta. I miss that guy.

Who doesn't

But he has increasing weight big time. From 58.5 to 67 kilo. So he won't explode anymore on steep muro's, but even more on the descents

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Does anyone know if they use actual time gaps for the TTT or if they use time bonuses based on team position? Thanks.

I don't see why they wouldn't use actual gaps?

 

[Arredondo]

Contador for sure will be up there. Last year he was in the mix for the podium, despite being in horrible shape. I mean, Chavito is a great rider, but he barely managed to hold off a 70% Contador.

Now at least he finished the Tour physically fine. And i'm not sure Nibali is able to drop Contador in the Spanish mountains. Nibbles surely is past his prime.

In my opinion only Froome is a significantly bigger favorite for the overall. Zakarin, Nibali, Kruijswijk, Chaves and Aru aren't.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I think Froome will finally win this. Should have won a couple already, to be honest. As much as I wish this wasn't the case, I see Contador performing similarly to last year. Strong, but not quite there. Nibali to duke it out with Contador for the podium. Someone else to wheelsuck and get second.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

Superman!!!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Marc Soler to win either at Cálar Alto or Hoya de la Mora. Maybe from the break. David de la Cruz to win an intermediate stage. Jaime Rosón to finish between 6th and 10th on GC.

 

[Laplaz]

And what about Zakarin? I think he will at least Top-5.

 

[DNP-Old]

Carapaz is in as well.

 

[Urbi27]

Froome is no.1 favourite certainly. In this kind of route Orica with Yates could be a threat. It is a question about Uran, I don't think he will start, he was always really bad in second GT in the year, it will be better for him to focus on Canadian classics and then go for Lombardia and all this preparations classic races.

I really courious about Van Garderen, it is his last chance to show his GT potential and the route suits him very well.

 

[Leinster]

I don't think there's a route that suits or doesn't suit TJ. He either rides in his 5th place in the Tour form, or he blows up half way through and finishes as pack fodder as Phil and Paul lament how talented a bike rider we all know he can be on his day. MTFs, ITT kms, long stages, short stages don't really come into it.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

Marc Soler to win either at Cálar Alto or Hoya de la Mora. Maybe from the break. David de la Cruz to win an intermediate stage. Jaime Rosón to finish between 6th and 10th on GC.

Last I remember Unzue said it was too early, Soler wouldn't do any GTs.
Has that changed?

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

Marc Soler to win either at Cálar Alto or Hoya de la Mora. Maybe from the break. David de la Cruz to win an intermediate stage. Jaime Rosón to finish between 6th and 10th on GC.

Last I remember Unzue said it was too early, Soler wouldn't do any GTs.
Has that changed?

Yes, they are going to la Vuelta with their young guns (Soler, Carapaz, Ruben Fernandez).

 

[Urbi27]

Re:

I don't think there's a route that suits or doesn't suit TJ. He either rides in his 5th place in the Tour form, or he blows up half way through and finishes as pack fodder as Phil and Paul lament how talented a bike rider we all know he can be on his day. MTFs, ITT kms, long stages, short stages don't really come into it.

You probably have right but I feel in my bones that it will be breaking moment in his career. In fact for him it is situations - nothing to lose everything to gain.

Maybe this Vuelata will be a chance for someone outside a main GT contenders? Someone like Formolo? Or maybe Majka?

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Marc Soler to win either at Cálar Alto or Hoya de la Mora. Maybe from the break. David de la Cruz to win an intermediate stage. Jaime Rosón to finish between 6th and 10th on GC.

Last I remember Unzue said it was too early, Soler wouldn't do any GTs.
Has that changed?

Yes, they are going to la Vuelta with their young guns (Soler, Carapaz, Ruben Fernandez).

And hopefully Betancur as well! (altho not young anymore really) I assume Soler and Fernandez will try to stay a bit up in the GC in the start, maybe along with Moreno and Betancur, while Carapaz should have no intentions of that.

 

[May0maniac]

I hope that Bora will send Konrad to the Vuelta, it's probably the gt that suits him the most.

 

[hazaran]

Re: Re:

Does anyone know if they use actual time gaps for the TTT or if they use time bonuses based on team position? Thanks.

I don't see why they wouldn't use actual gaps?

They used to not do that for the Tour TTTs because Postal would smash every other team by 2-3 minutes..

This 13km TTT will not have more than 30s gaps I think. But that 35km TTT in the Tour 2018..

 

[Squire]

Re: Re:

Does anyone know if they use actual time gaps for the TTT or if they use time bonuses based on team position? Thanks.

I don't see why they wouldn't use actual gaps?

They used to not do that for the Tour TTTs because Postal would smash every other team by 2-3 minutes..

This 13km TTT will not have more than 30s gaps I think. But that 35km TTT in the Tour 2018..

The only year they did set gaps was 2004. USPS actually didn't win a Tour TTT until 2003, then they won the '04 one and the '05 one, when the real gaps returned.

Ironically, the only TTT where they actually put minutes into almost everyone was the 2004 one.

 

[Escarabajo]

No Uran. He said that today in interviews with Colombian TV.

He was never scheduled for that. I think he was scheduled for the end of the year classics,

He is more worried about his contract situation than anything else.

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

Marc Soler to win either at Cálar Alto or Hoya de la Mora. Maybe from the break. David de la Cruz to win an intermediate stage. Jaime Rosón to finish between 6th and 10th on GC.

If Roson finishes top 10 then I will finally adopt an avatar. I've been championing him for a couple of years now and that would do wonders to my cq
team.

 

[staubsauger]

Re:

No Uran. He said that today in interviews with Colombian TV.

He was never scheduled for that. I think he was scheduled for the end of the year classics,

He is more worried about his contract situation than anything else.

Sky takes him back immediately once he gives Sir Dave a ring.
Astana almost certainly needs a replacement for Aru.
Cannondale likely adds new sponsorship.

No need to worry IMHO!

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

Marc Soler to win either at Cálar Alto or Hoya de la Mora. Maybe from the break. David de la Cruz to win an intermediate stage. Jaime Rosón to finish between 6th and 10th on GC.

Last I remember Unzue said it was too early, Soler wouldn't do any GTs.
Has that changed?

Yes, they are going to la Vuelta with their young guns (Soler, Carapaz, Ruben Fernandez).

And hopefully Betancur as well! (altho not young anymore really) I assume Soler and Fernandez will try to stay a bit up in the GC in the start, maybe along with Moreno and Betancur, while Carapaz should have no intentions of that.

Unzue said that neither of the three will have the pressure to go for GC. While that doesn't immediately mean they won't try, I think it's more likely that they rather will target stages.